Essiac Tea (Organic)

Organic Essiac Tea is grown & packaged in the USA

Why Essiac Tea?

During moments of change and transformation in our lives, our bodies become confused and can hold onto old energies that become toxic. This happens because our bodies are conditioned to hold onto the past, just as our mind does. This is ego programming, which is in a state of transformation. As we chose to let go of the past and move forward, we have to assist the body in doing the same.

I used this tea for approximately a year before my friend discontinued her business. Now that we are moving into such intense shifting in order to release the past, I thought it was time to start using the Essiac Tea again. I also felt that what I am doing to help myself, I would like to share with others. Hence, I began my own research and found the information, tools and products I needed to get this Tea for myself and others.

This is a gentle detoxer that has been documented to heal individuals of cancer. This is an extreme case of the effectiveness of this tea when taken in high doses, but it is also a gentle cleaner and balancer when taken daily in small doses. Only a ¼ cup per day will keep your body happy by maintain a healthy scenario where unimpeded energy flow is achieved.

I have packaged this Tea in large tea bags, measuring 1 oz (1/4 cup) of Essiac Tea. This amount of Tea will produce 1 quart of Essiac Tea that will last for 2 weeks when using a ¼ cup dosage per day.

What is Essiac Tea?

Since the 1920’s, a renegade nurse named Rene Caisse, treated thousands of cancer patients with a decoction given to her from the Canadian Ojibwa Indians. This little known tea is made up of just four simple ingredients. By combining Burdock Root, Turkey Rhubarb (used in Chinese medicine to cleanse the colon), Sheep Sorrel (the whole plant including the root) and Slippery Elm.

Rene Caisse tested the tea on mice and used it on cancer patients in her cancer clinic in Bracebridge, Ontario. She helped so many people with her tea that Essiac almost became an official cancer treatment. However, the bill to make Essiac an official cancer treatment failed by just three votes in the Ontario legislature. Rene Caisse called her tea “Essiac” – her surname spelled backwards.

Nurse Caisse worked with cancer patients for decades, proving to be very successful in ‘treating’ cancer with her special tea. Her treatments were, in fact, so successful that in 1938 when she was being punished for helping so many people, more than 55,000 supporters signed a petition to support her ongoing efforts. A bill was also presented in Ontario, which would have allowed Caisse to continue to practice ‘treating’ people, but it lost by only three signatures.

Since Caisse’s time, the Chinese government has now tested Essiac tea extensively and now lists it as a cancer ‘medicine.’ The news of this herbal tonic has been quashed like many other natural remedies, by Big Pharma and drug companies who make huge profits off of people suffering from cancer.

Sheep sorrel, like so many other cancer-fighting plants, is also usually considered an unwanted weed. Caisse knew this was one of the most important ingredients from her advice given by her elderly Indian friend, and she even wrote a letter to Dr. Chester Stock of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, the world’s oldest and largest private anti-cancer establishment, trying to convince him of its efficacy.

The individual Essiac herbs have been used as food for a very, very long time. That’s right – food. Even today the Japanese and an increasing number of Americans are eating burdock root for dinner. Fancy restaurants offer sheep sorrel salad at high prices. Native Americans used slippery elm for food and for its health benefits long before the European invasion of this continent. Many people use garden rhubarb in pies, jams, etc. (However, Essiac tea uses the root of turkey rhubarb – not the stems.)

At the right dosage – and that will vary from person to person – Essiac tea provides a gentle colon cleanse, by loosening and normalizing bowel movements. However, if things get too loose one only needs to cut back on the tea until the stools are soft but not too loose.

There are well-known American herbalists who claim that most illnesses can be remedied simply by a thorough colon cleanse.

Additional Tips and Information:

Essiac Tea is a decoction, not an infusion. An infusion is what people do when they put a tea bag in a cup of hot water. Generally speaking, an infusion tends to extract vitamins and volatile oils. A decoction is used to extract minerals, etc., from roots, bark or seeds by boiling for ten minutes and then allowing the herbs to steep for several hours.

Possible Side Effects of Essiac Tea

Essiac tea is generally regarded as being benign concerning side effects, except for standard caution that anyone pregnant or nursing should not use it (which applies to any dietary herbal supplement). People react differently to pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, while some users experience adverse side effects; others have no problems or side effects at all. Possible side effects of taking the tea are possible, but not probable. As with any herbal supplement, you should consult with your physician before using Essiac tea.

Though side effects are rare when taking Essiac, there are three general ones:

Nausea and/or indigestion, generally caused by eating or drinking too soon before or after drinking the tea.

Intestinal or digestive discomfort, caused principally because as toxins dissolve, the body tries to eliminate them quickly,

An increase in the size of an existing tumor, caused by the metastasized cells gathering at the original site, before the tumor softens and reduces in size.

(A Native Herbal Cancer Remedy by Cynthia Olsen, 2nd Edition page 61)

If side effects or discomfort occurs, stop taking the Essiac Tea for a few days, while still drinking plenty of water. When symptoms subside, begin drinking the Tea, in smaller doses and gradually increase.

Allergy: You may be allergic to one (or more) of the Essiac tea herbs. If you become itchy, develop an itchy rash areas on your body, even itchy runny eyes, and / or you come down with an unaccountable case of hay-fever symptoms with sneezing, runny nose and eyes. Sheep sorrel is thought to be the allergen, according to noted researcher and author Mali Klein (who happens to be slightly allergic to it). Try cutting dosage way down or stop taking it for a while or stop altogether. Some people who take too much Essiac tea for too long possibly could become finally very allergic to it.

If you have NO allergy symptoms from taking the tea, in our opinion you should stick to a reasonable dosage ranging from minimum of one ounce per day as a “tonic” to maximum of no more than six ounces tea per day for “illness”.

Diarrhea: Diarrhea has been the main side effect I have seen, although it is not a common side effect. Gastrointestinal discomfort has also been reported on various occasions. According to herbal literature, turkey rhubarb is a laxative and if the body cannot handle it, diarrhea will result. It is advised to those experiencing diarrhea or discomfort is to cut the dosage down to 1oz a day (or stop entirely) until the problems resolve, then gradually get yourself back to taking original amount.

Kidney Disease, Kidney Stones: If you have kidney disease or are prone to kidney stones, some sources advise not taking Essiac tea because of the oxalic acid in sheep sorrel. Although using a small dosage amount shouldn’t cause problems, people with kidney problems should consult their doctor before using Essiac tea.

Diabetes: Diabetics who are insulin dependent may need to adjust their dosage, also those on anti-diabetes medications. All diabetics should monitor their blood sugar closely while on this tea. Some of the constituents in this tea can affect the way glucose and insulin are taken up in the cells and utilized. Many people find they need less medication while taking this tea. This is not always the case, but is worthy of mention.

If any discomfort occurs, stop taking the decoction for several days until you feel better. Then, begin again with just half an ounce every other day and gradually to increase the dosage. This usually corrects the problem.

Diabetics are advised to start with a tiny dose of 1/2 ounce tea (1 Tablespoon) every other day before gradually increasing dose to 1/2 ounce tea per day (1/2 Tablespoon twice a day) to 1 ounce tea per day (1 Tablespoon twice a day). Monitoring should reveal whether blood sugar level goes up or down.

Tips to Avoid Essiac Tea Side Effects

Start with a small dose at first to see how your body reacts.

Take the tea on an empty stomach. In the morning and before bed are good times.

Drink plenty of water to dilute toxins and help with removal.

Stick to a reasonable dose. Most Essiac tea side effects are caused by taking too much. With the many variables in products, herbs and preparation, it’s ultimately up to you to decide what’s best for your body.

One can also use a sauna to help flush the toxins out through the skin, provided one drinks lots of water and avoids becoming overheated or dehydrated.

Cut back on the amount of Essiac tea taken daily whenever this “over-detoxification” phenomenon occurs.

Water Intake

Other side effects, such as diarrhea, a mysterious lower-back kidney ache, flu-like symptoms or upset stomach may be caused by using too high of a dose and not drinking enough water. Anyone taking Essiac tea should increase their water intake, due to its detoxification properties, which cause the release of toxins from tissues and blood, excreting them via the intestinal and urinary tracts. The toxins must be diluted as they are released from the body tissues or they become concentrated, causing stress on the liver and kidneys and leading to you not feeling well.

Hence, it is best to drink three or four quarts of plain water daily if you are taking Essiac tea. Unfortunately, please note that soda pop, juice, tea, coffee (which is diuretic) and other beverages do not count in that amount.

To Purchase

Each 1 oz bag of Essiac Tea is $6.00 and is available at Greenleaf Healing in Cary. This Tea can be mailed, with an additional charge for postage fees. If you would like to order this Tea, please contact Carolyn at Carolyn@greenleafhealing.com.